Dane County avoids airport furlough impacts

Passengers at Wisconsin's Dane County Regional Airport experienced minimal to no delays one day after air traffic controller furloughs kicked in.

"We've been assured locally by our FAA and TSA leadership that things are going to remain as usual here," said Brent McHenry, marketing and communications director at the Dane County Regional Airport.

Generally delays involving the Dane County Airport were reported to be 15 minutes and under. Hourlong delays were noted in New York and Washington D.C., but McHenry said those are expected, given their large size.

The Van Leays family flew in to Madison from Albany, New York last week before the cuts took effect and left Monday.

"We've had really good luck. We had no delays at all. The trip up here was uneventful," said Mark Van Leays. They said they had more trouble flying in December.

Out of the Dane County Airport's 13 destinations, officials saw delays from five minutes to an hour on Monday. Delays they described as normal or slight.

McHenry is advising customers to do some research before they pack their bags and head out the door.

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"I have no inclination as to how this is going to play out. We're just going to continue to monitor it locally and encourage everybody to check with their airline before they get here, just to make sure they get an understanding of what they're up against," said McHenry.

The Federal Aviation Association scaled back on air traffic controllers as a response to mandatory government spending cuts that took effect March 1.

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